Robbie Williams turned the Melbourne Cup into a musical stage. The British pop star gave two performances at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne in front of 97,112 spectators who had gathered for the 166th edition of Australia’s most famous horse race.
His first appearance came immediately before the start of the main race. Williams began with “Feel,” followed by “Rock DJ,” “Angels” and “Let Me Entertain You.” The singer moved among the audience and appeared on a stage in the horses’ area, dressed in a suit featuring horse motifs.
“Melbourne is something of my spiritual home,” Williams told the media before the event. He described the Melbourne Cup as a race deeply rooted in Australian culture and added that he was taking his participation “very seriously.”
75 minutes of hits after the final race
The show continued after the end of the race day. Williams returned to the Elms Live Stage for a 75-minute concert that closed the programme at Flemington. It featured songs from various stages of his career, as well as performances of compositions associated with Oasis, Midnight Oil, Shania Twain and INXS.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the audience sang along with him during “Angels” and “Let Me Entertain You.” Fox Sports described his appearance before the race as one of the strongest musical openings at a major sporting event in Australia, quoting television host Eddie McGuire as saying: “Robbie Williams, take a bow.”
The attendance of 97,112 was the highest for Melbourne Cup day since 2016. The race itself ended with a victory for Point of Law, ridden by Ethan Brown. Trainer Ciaron Maher recorded a historic trifecta after his horses took the first three places.
BRITPOP World Tour begins on November 7
The performances at Flemington were Williams’ first Australian concert appearance ahead of the start of the BRITPOP World Tour. The stadium tour begins on November 7 at Adelaide Oval.
After Adelaide, the singer will take the stage at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on November 11, Accor Stadium in Sydney on November 14, McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on November 17 and Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on November 20.
Following the concerts in Australia, the tour continues in New Zealand, with dates in Auckland on November 24 and Christchurch on November 28. For the latter city, this will be Williams’ first appearance there in 25 years.
Sources: abc.net.au, foxsports.com.au, racing.com